Adversary Obsession
by RedRover3173
Summary: Sequel to Powered Up. It started as a simple job, catch the criminal and throw him in jail. But this was no ordinary villain, and this was no ordinary job. This was an obsession. How to ignore it? If only he knew . . . .
1. Obsession

**Yeah, the sequel! I've been planning this for a long, long, long, long, long, long, long . . . . time. I hope you like it, it's gonna be mostly Robin and Slade focused, but there will be a lot of the others too. Just wait and see.**

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It started as a job, catch the criminal and throw him in jail, but this was no ordinary criminal, and this was no ordinary job. Using others to pull of his plots, manipulating some with his disguises, and his cryptic way of thinking was way beyond the Titans.

In the end, his tactics had had defeated those of the Titans, and left them completely astonished.

This defeat had been one of the few the Teen Titans had suffered, but still, it sparked a sensation of vengeance in the leader. His stubbornness probed him to track down this mysterious threat.

The sleepless nights he had since them had been nothing but useless. He wasn't getting very far, and his adversary knew everything anyone could know about him.

This disadvantage led to many other downfalls, which soon discouraged the team completely, with the exception of their leader.

His now eminent obsession had forced him to do something he would never in his right mind attempt, but he was far from okay.

Now his teammate was lying in the infirmary, because of his enduring passion for his work. No wonder his friends questioned his reliable presence.

Still, every night would slowly tick by, and with his eyes continuously scanning his computer screen, he would soon realize that nothing on the cursed machine could help him now.

During the day, he would try to avoid his allies by saying only what was needed to be heard. His mask hid the wrinkled bags under his eyes from the others, so they believed his lies of getting a full night's rest.

And with his haunted memories of the last week, he tried, if possible, to avoid two rooms in the tower, for the letters that were painted on the doors read "INFIRMARY" and "RAVEN."

Of course, his friends required him to visit his dark companion, for whatever reason they had, and he did so on a regular basis. He mostly made sure that his friend was asleep, but sometimes he would need to talk with her, and their conversation would last until darkness crept over the sky.

They would cover a wide variety of subjects, and sooner or later the question would enter her mind: 'Why didn't you listen to me?' It would come everyday, and he dreaded every time she asked. He had an answer, but he didn't want to admit it.

He didn't want to admit that his obsession for Slade had taken over his affection for her.

Even though he never gave an answer, she understood his hatred for admitting the truth.

His independence also effected his relationship with his friends. He would normally embark on a mission alone, and not return for several hours. This worried his friends to a point, and they secretly monitored his obsession for Slade.

They tried to pull him away from the computer as much as possible, while also trying to give him enough time by himself to relax from all of the bickering that constantly filled the tower.

But in spite of his friends' attempts, his passion for tracking down the masked maniac grew to an intensity that would soon destroy him, and that 'soon' was very near.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:

The alarm had rang early in the morning, and since Robin was the only one still awake, he was first to answer the call.

His fingers rapidly tapped on the keys, as the computer pinpointed the exact spot of the crime. A map of the city appeared on the main screen, and a big "S" was looming over a street.

He fell back in his chair, stunned. He heard the footsteps of the others echoing through the halls.

Beast Boy entered, with Cyborg at his side, laughing at the state of the changeling's hair. Starfire hovered a mere two inches above the ground, trying to fight the sleep that had taken over her body.

They all gasped simultaneously at the mark of their worst adversary on the main screen.

Robin's eyebrows knitted in frustration. This was just what he needed, a madman terrorizing the city, and his allies to tired to see straight. It would be a one-sided battle.

He turned to the others, who yawned and rubbed their tired eyes.

Robin headed to the infirmary, and got Raven as fast as he could. He sat her on the back of the R-cycle, and sped behind the shiny T-car. Starfire and Beast Boy were inside with Cyborg, more scared of falling asleep while flying than anything.

They drove through the quiet streets of Jump City, guided with nothing but the headlights of the two vehicles.

As they turned a corner, Robin began to notice hints of destruction that Slade had left behind. He gritted his teeth and groaned slightly, remembering his last encounter with the villain.

Raven's grip around his body tightened, as the sight of Slade's target grew visible. Hundreds of his robots marched down the street towards them. The light of the moon reflected off of the left side of Slade's mask, making him look eviler, if possible.

His head was turned I the opposite direction, but the noise of the engines was hard to miss.

"Ah, Titans, I was beginning to think you wouldn't show up." He started to walk closer to them, but his tone remained emotionless as ever. "Robin, I see you've recovered since our last meeting. Excellent, and your friend, Raven. She seems to be doing a lot better, too."

The R-cycle came to a halt, but Raven and Robin remained on it. He clenched his teeth tightly, wishing he could get rid of Slade once and for all.

"Don't count on it Robin. You couldn't defeat me last time. Instead you just hurt your precious girlfriend. You'll never stop me, and I'll never go away."

The leader's thoughts were shattered, as it seemed like Slade had read them. He removed his helmet and stood up. He secretly fished for a birdarang, and got ready to attack. His friends stood behind him, and once again the Teen Titans would take on their worst adversary, Slade.

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**It feels some much better to get all of that out of my head. I swear, its capacity has shrunk in the last few years. Ha ha. Yeah, first chapter down, only ? to go. We'll see how far I get. Ha ha. Review if you want, it's not required. I'm not really a begger so do whatever you want. **

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	2. The Early Bird Gets The Worm

**I'm SO sorry, I haven't updated in like forever, I know. We had this Science Project, and it's my worst subject so I had to do a good job. But I'm done with it, but I doubt that I passed, it's just a negative point of view. Ha ha. Thanks for the reviews, and I hope this chapter is better, longer, and gooder, if that is a word! Ha ha.**

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The sky was set ablaze, as the sun began to fight for its position, turning a blood red. Clouds began to form out of thin air, dotting the atmosphere like the fur of a Dalmatian. The normal residents of Jump would soon arise and the streets abuzz with people rushing every which way.

But not everyone in Jump City was classified as normal. Five teens and a crazed adult stood out among the rest.

No ordinary teenagers, these tough kids were always up early, waiting for their alarm to go off, so they could start the day with a rush of adrenaline. The other man, a secretive person, who liked his privacy, yet loved to haunt others with his cryptic mind, was an early bird as well.

To an observer, it would have been a mystery how the city stayed as peaceful as ever, despite the physical argument of the town outcastes. But then again, an observer would have run away at the first site of this dispute.

This quarrel had become an everyday ritual to both sides of the fight. They would battle it out verbally, if not physically, until one seemed to be superior.

To some, this habit seemed pointless, idiotic even but the line between good and evil had grown thin in the last few years, so the fights were necessary.

The cold nagged bitterly at each of the youngsters exposed faces, their breath visibly blowing away through the chilling air. Each one glared at the masked mad man in front of them.

He stood relaxed, while his opponents shook violently with fear. It swept through their bodies, filling until capacity. Slade could see all of them through the eyepiece in the plate of metal he continuously wore. He studied each of them, watching their every move.

_Starfire . . . _he thought as his eyes rested on the young Tamaranian. He stared at her battle stance, and the hand that with slightly raised. A green orb surrounded it, supposedly a threat, or at least an intended one. _Alien strength, starbolts, metallic chromium allergies . . . not much of hazard._

_Cyborg . . . nothing dangerous, unless you're in a virtual video game designed for two-year-olds. And Beast Boy . . . the child who can only hurt you with one of his bad jokes. They can't fight, they can't do anything._

His averted his gaze, pinpointing the dark bird. She stood ready for battle, but her poor condition was eminent. He had seen what happened to her, how Robin had betrayed her, in order to try doing something he was destined to fail at. And still, half of her body was hidden behind that of Robin, the 'fearless' leader.

His fears were about as obvious as the mask on his face, and yet he was supposed to defend his friends. Slade's thoughts wandered for a while, until Robin's voice brought him back down to Earth.

"So what are you doing out at this time of day, Slade? Isn't it a little early for you to be causing problems?"

"The early bird gets the worm, Robin," he shot back.

"The worm being you?" Behind his mask, Robin raised an eyebrow.

Everyone knew that birds spat out the remains of their former lunch. But then again, calling himself more dominant than Slade was a risk. Anything to do with Slade was a risk, but that didn't stop Robin.

Nothing could at this point, not even an asymmetrical-faced mad man.

He reached for a birdarang in his belt, luckily being ignored by his adversary.

"Do you really want to find out who will be the worm? If I were you, I'd accept defeat now and go home. Of course, there is another option."

Robin gritted his teeth, his fingers tracing the edges of his weapon. The two words that once gently rested on his tongue were fighting to get out. _Titans go. _It whispered through his head, but his conscience urged his mouth shut.

Soon, he decided that his conscience was just a voice with no brain, and let out a yell, crying, "Titans, GO!"

The orb that had been cautiously waiting released it self, and was soon joined by a blue beam, and a crate surrounded by a black aura. A birdarang sailed in their wake, as Beast Boy brought up the rear in the form of a tiger.

The shots were supposedly aimed for the cryptic maniac, but missed him by a mile. His speed met that of a cheetah, and he easily dodged the simultaneous attacks.

He lightly chucked, and it seemed as if he hadn't even broken a sweat. Their efforts were futile when they confronted Slade, but the team of teens was too blinded by obsession to see this.

Robin whipped his bo staff out of his utility belt, and swung it wildly at Slade. His plan worked, until Slade countered with his stick of metal. His attacks pushed the adolescent back, and managed to hit him a few times.

Their battle ended when Cyborg's sonic cannon let loose a beam of light. It hit right on target, and sent Slade into an alley full of wooden crates. Beast Boy began to dance about as if the villain had been silenced by his attack, but soon stopped as an echo of hysterical laughter bounced off the buildings in the city and reached their ears.

Slade lifted himself from the heap of wood, dusting the slightest bit of sawdust off of his shoulder.

"Well, it seems as though you are the worm today, Titans. Another time."

He disappeared into the shadows of an alleyway, as the smallest rays of the sun began to shine down on the confused teens. The green changeling silently scratched his head, wondering what Slade had just said and why, and with a glance around, he could tell that his friends shared the same feeling of perplexity as he.

He secretly wanted to ask what they were to do now, but smartly kept his mouth shut, which was a surprise to him, as he had never done this in the past. But even he knew that now was not the time for a random joke that never made any sense.

Robin revved up the R-cycle, and Raven, lucky enough to get on, sped on with him, arms around his waist. The others stood quietly, gazing at each other, wondering which would take the lead this time. Cyborg turned and got into the front seat, and Beast Boy surrendered the shotgun to Starfire, and climbed into the back.

The wheels of the T-car rotated faster than ever, as Cy gunned the engine, and headed to the tower, trying to cover the gap between them and the two birds. It was a very long, silent ride home, even for the green comedian, who could never keep his mouth shut.

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The echo of Robin's slamming door was a warning to all in the tower to stay out of his way, yet one of the Titans did not regard this warning, and let herself into the room of her leader, who could not stop her even if he wanted to.

"Back to work, I see. You never find the time to rest, do you?" Robin, expecting a sarcastic remark, managed a weak, but true smile at her comment.

"Yeah, well, pretending to be hurt, when everyone can see that you aren't, really is a smart idea. So, what's your excuse, faker?"

Raven removed her hood from her head, and rolled her eyes. "How else am I supposed to get you to pay attention to something other than Slade?'

"I think you mean _someone_," he pointed out. "You live for attention, don't you?"

"Oh yeah, if everyone doesn't focus on me, I'll die. I think you know that I'm quite the opposite. You want to find someone who'd die for attention, go talk to Beast Boy. He seems to have the tactic down."

A small chuckle escaped from his mouth, and Raven couldn't help but join in on it. She lived to torture Beast Boy, and everyone knew it.

"Go back to your books. I need to concentrate, and you aren't helping any."

"In other words, you want me to stay because tracking down Slade is getting old, especially when you can't fight him at all. He's right, you know. You really need to accept defeat, and move on. He's bigger, badder, and better."

Robin gently nudged her shoulder. "See, this is exactly why I don't come to you for advice. You are so negative all the time. It'd be nice to see you view the glass as half full, instead of half empty."

"That's the stupidest excuse for an expression I've ever heard. Half empty and half full is the same thing. There's nothing to compare it with. It's like saying, 'I'm stronger than myself.' What's the point in using it, if it doesn't make any sense?"

"See, that's exactly what I'm talking about. Look on the bright side now and then. It's not that complicated. And the expression depends on your outtake on life, which yours of course, is negative."

"Whatever, Boy Blunder. You want to be as cryptic as Slade, I won't stop you."

"Yeah, but you know what the difference is between me and Slade?"

"What?"

Robin ran a hand through his hair, and said coolly, "I'm better looking."

She shook her head, laughing inside her mind at his little comparison. "I don't know, we've never seen him. He could be so much better than you."

"Ah, come on Raven, admit it, you think I'm handsome, maybe even _hot_."

She pretended to throw up, as he arched an eyebrow.

"Whatever, but one day, when I'm married with two kids, you'll be wondering what would have happened if you had taken me offer!"

Raven walked out of his room, shouting back, "Maybe I won't be because I'll be married to someone _way _better looking!" _If that's possible, _she said to herself, as her walk became a happy skip.

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**I decided to add some fluff, just for kicks. Yeah Raven and Robin. I'm a dedicated fan. Hope you liked it, I promise I'll get the next chapter up sooner. **

**As for Slade, you'll see him later, but sooner, and yeah, it's too confusing for words, just stay tuned and find out. You'll get his last comment in the next chapter or so, so yeah, just wait and see!**

**So did you like it, hate it, love it? I don't care if it's good or bad, I just want your opinions! **

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	3. An Explosion of Feelings

**Muhahahahahaha! I have returned and this time, with a much larger chapter filled with . . . well, you'll just have to find out for yourself! Ha ha ha!**

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Raven threw herself upon her bed, exhausted from the day but excited at the same time. She had just finished an _interesting _conversation with Robin, if interesting meant flirtatious and hilarious. She knew her heart was constantly pointing her toward him, but she preferred to take it one step at a time, and each step took about a month, if not a week.

She used her powers to bring an apple from the one side of the room to the other, and lightly set it down on her nightstand. She began to tidy up her room, not that it was as messy as Beast Boy's, but she liked to keep her room neat and tidy, for she never knew when someone, say Robin, would come into it.

Her dresser took the longest to clean, mostly because there was a bunch of junk on it that she needed to sort through. She found a comb, her communicator that had been missing, and a penny, among all of the other things. She felt the cool metal of the coin as she pressed it into her palm. It was the one that had given her luck during her father's dreadful return; the one Beast Boy had given to her.

Why she had kept it, she didn't know, but as she turned it over in her hand, she knew that she would keep it as one of her prized possessions. It reminded her of the events that had taken place when Trigon had taken over the Earth, but among all actions, Robin's hope stood out the most.

Even now, she could see his hope growing with each obstacle they had encountered and overcome. She let her mind wander, back to the beginning, when they had just met and a new team had been created. They had been so different at first, to the point where they hated each other, but they overpowered that hate, and became stronger than they ever imagined.

Hope.

It was the one thing she lacked, the one thing she had too much of.

But she couldn't see it, even if Robin was right and she was the most hopeful person on the team, it was invisible to her.

She longed to know that her urge to be victorious had caused them to defeat all of the villains they had.

But no matter how much she wanted it, she knew she could never see how much she believed in herself, how she believed in the team.

So focused on her thoughts, Raven didn't hear the knock on her door.

"Open up! C'mon Raven, I know you're in there! Get your creepy butt out here, we're leaving!"

"Shut up, Robin! I'll go when I want, just give me five minutes!"

The pounding on her door stopped, as the leader's voice grew softer as he headed down the hall.

"Well, that's fine! I'm not so sure that the T-car will be here when you're done though!"

She chuckled to herself, as she mentally pulled her hood over her head, concealing her facial expression.

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When she arrived in the garage, Starfire and Cyborg were sitting in the front, Cyborg impatiently tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. She was forced to cram in between Robin and Beast Boy, which may not have been so bad, if it weren't for the green changeling that was squished against her.

Raven, clueless to where they were headed, tried to keep her cool, which right now seemed impossible. It was only a matter of time before Beast Boy thought of yet another boring joke to crack. Then she'd had to think of a sarcastic comeback that would shut him up, which of course was more work for her.

It was a long boring number of long boring seconds later that they arrived at the Pizza restaurant. This, once again, was Starfire's choice, possibly with a little influence from Cyborg. Raven dreaded being embarrassed by her friends, especially by Star's topping selection.

Parading around in bright suits and masks was enough to ruin one's day, unless they were saving the world. She often wondered why they had never changed their clothes and act like regular people.

This was something else that Raven added to her list of wants that would never come true, which was growing larger by the second.

She kept quiet while her friends fought over the pizza they should order. She wanted to slap each one of them for arguing over a pointless matter over a pointless food item.

But as much as she desired it, her hand remained on the table.

Finally they decided to get a plain cheese pizza, and both Cyborg and Beast Boy crossed their arms in rage.

"Look what you did, you little Grass Stain! Now I'll never be able to taste the new Meaty Man special."

"Well, you could've added a few veggies on the top. The might actually help get you tin can to regular size, you tin can."

Beast Boy, along with Robin, was pushed out of the booth, onto the cold, hard tile.

Before the changeling could do anything, Robin entered the booth, taking a seat that separated the two immature pinheads.

Raven applauded his courage, knowing that if they continued to fight, he would be in the middle of the childish brawl. She winced as a kick aimed for Beast Boy connected with her leg, under the table.

Beast Boy and Cyborg had interrupted their argument to laugh at her pain.

Embarrassing as it was, Raven sat coolly, and waited for the perfect moment to silence them with a satisfying slap.

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After an _interesting _dining experience, they exited the restaurant, letting everyone that remained breathe a sigh of relief.

The Teen Titans took the shortest route home, Beast Boy trading spots with Starfire, to keep the peace, if any at all still lingered between them. Robin had surrendered the window seat to Raven, giving her time to cool down from the anger that eminently was inside of her.

The T-car made a sharp turn at the corner, the same one they had rounded just two minutes earlier, and Cyborg revved up the engine.

They sped away, stopping to turn at other corners that now were forming a circle.

_If this is Cyborg's idea of taking the short way,_ the seething demon thought, _I'd hate to see what the long route is like. _

As they prepared to complete their fifth circle around town, something that hadn't been there before caught each and every eye of the Titans.

There ahead of them lay a pile of cars, desolated and destroyed. A few of the supposed drivers lay sprawled across the road, obviously in a great deal of pain.

Robin would have been the first at the scene, but Raven took her time getting out and the alien on the other side of him was fast asleep, drool trickling down the side of the window. He shivered at the thought of what Cyborg would say if he saw this, but pushed the image away and climbed out of the car.

The closer he got, the more he realized that this was no ordinary accident. The street, on which this had happened, was usually never too backed up with traffic. As a matter of fact, this street was hardly ever used, and yet six or seven cars lay in the middle of it.

The leader began counting the cars, the numbers he whispered in sync with his heartbeat, which was now racing.

One . . .

Beast Boy and Raven helped a man inside a crunched vehicle to the sidewalk, and realized that he was missing an arm. The green youth shrieked as he saw his hands covered in blood. Raven just wiped it on her cloak that would definitely be washed later on that night.

Two . . .

Starfire drowsily made her way over to the pile of metal, her eyes widened with shock.

Three . . .

Raven began to lift the car on top from the heap, discarding it in a dumpster. The black aura around it faded, as another was surrounded by it.

Four . . .

Cyborg, with the help of Starfire, was able to pitch in and help Raven remove some of the vehicles from this mess.

Five . . .

Beast Boy aided a woman by snatching her child from the back seat of a sports car. He used his sleeve to wipe red liquid from a cut on its forehead. He carefully placed the baby in the hands of its crying mother. Together they wailed, in joy and shock, as the Titan's thoughts returned to the matter at hand.

Six . . .

Raven was now down to the last three cars, and had filled the dumpster to capacity.

Seven . . .

As he counted the last car, Robin noticed gas leaking from the tank of a silver SUV at the bottom. His eyes wandered to the building that one of the cars had broken into, eyeing at the man crouched on its roof.

Slade.

He was holding a short, stick-like item in his hand, and a box in the other. He connected the end of the stick to the box, and pulled. A flame ignited on the match, and it gently fluttered to the base of the crash.

Words formed a warning to his friends, but Robin didn't get them out in time.

The flame met the gas, and the remaining three cars exploded together, like fireworks on the Fourth of July, but this was no celebration. His friends were in there; under the wrath of the fire's fury.

He wished, he prayed that they were alright, that Raven had shielded them from the explosion, but sadly, she was just as surprised as he was, and as panic shot through her body, the idea of making a barrier disappeared from her mind.

Before he knew what he was doing, Robin rushed towards the flames. He winced at the heat, but as the fire swallowed him, he continued searching for his friends.

The edge of a cloak caught his eye, and with all his might, he dragged it from the chaos.

It was released easily, but he soon noticed that he had only the cloak in his hands, not the girl of his dreams. It was stained with blood, now a dark purple. He tossed it aside, and rushed back.

He found Starfire on the ground, Cyborg next to her. He used all of his strength to attempt to get them out, but his efforts were futile.

The smoke began to rise, a beacon to the city of Jump. Robin ignored everything tip he had ever received about fire. He didn't crawl on the ground, and inhaled the smoke from the fire.

His vision blurred and his muscles aching, he feel to his knees unconscious.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:

When he came to, Robin could see nothing but smoke. The fire had been doused, and yet the wind did not carry the smoke away. He was laying against the asphalt, uncomfortable.

But now was not the time to worry about his comfort. He looked up, his eyes meeting the metal mask that had constantly haunted him.

Neither one of them said anything, just stared into the place where a person's eyes would normally be. Both of the masks concealed their secrets, their emotions, their fears, and yet, their biggest enemy in front of them.

"I could tear this mask right off of you face this very instant, Robin," the villain's raspy voice warned. "You wouldn't even be able to defend yourself. Then I could finally see you eyes, that look of fear in your eyes, that I have longed to see since the day we met."

"I'm not scared of-" Slade cut him off by placing one of his metal boots on the hero's chest.

"You are scared of me, you just choose to deny it. You hide everything, but your eyes hide nothing. Should we see who's sacred of who?"

Robin would have said no, but Slade increased the pressure of his foot pressing down on the leader's chest.

"My, my. Can't protest, can we? Well, Robin, your state is somewhat in need of rest, so I'll wait to wreak my revenge on you."

As he turned to leave, instead of Slade removing his foot from Robin, it only pressed harder.

The crunch that Robin heard, sent pain through his body, and he violently fought to breathe.

Slade kicked at the unconscious body of the teenage hero, and when satisfied, left it.

"Ta ta, Robin."

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**Dun, dun, duh! Did that ending surprise you? It was a lot different than what you would have expected after reading the first paragraph of the chapter. Opinions would be nice, but they are not required. I'm just happy if you read it.**

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	4. Looks Can Be Decieving

**Let me just warn you that this is a long chapter. Three thousand words to be exact. It's pretty good, I guess. **

**Thanks so much for the reviews; you guys are truly my inspiration. I cannot express my joy when I see all of these thoughts and comments you have written about my story. Thank you so much! You guys rock!**

**So, to reward you for you time and thoughts, I shall give you this next chapter. I hope you like it. So, I'll stop annoying you with my ramblings and let you read this. **

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It was only a matter of time before another car turned the corner, only to find the wreck. Three cars, and others discarded on the side of the road, had exploded, and the Teen Titans, sprawled across the asphalt.

But, despite their streak of unfortunate luck, the five teenagers were found, and the passengers of the vehicle that had rounded the corner, were insistent to help them. If Robin were conscious, he most likely would have protested.

A girl around the age of ten walked over to the leader, her fingers tracing the intense burns on his exposed flesh. She wiped the small drops of blood that trickled down the corner of his mouth.

Another rider appeared behind her, and carefully lifted the hero on his shoulders and into one of the empty seats of the SUV. . If Robin were conscious, he most likely would have protested that he was fine and didn't need help, but even this stubborn boy would not have been able to lie about his condition, especially when it was eminent that he needed immediate help.

Other members of the team, who also were knocked out, soon joined Robin in the back row of the vehicle. Robin's young fan chuckled, as she imagined what Beast Boy would have looked like in the form of a chicken, and how the burns on his skin would have added to the hilarity.

Her mother and father entered the car, along with two other men, her supposed older brothers. They made sure that none of the Titans could shift and hurt themselves even more, and the engine started, and the car took off to the nearest hospital.

They headed straight for the emergency room, the line apparently longer than expected, but when some, if not all, saw the city's heroes, they respectively let the family go before them.

Since the Raven, Starfire, Cyborg, and Beast Boy all had injuries more severe than Robin, they separated. The four went to get immediate attention, and Robin to get his wounds cleaned and dressed.

And, if they had been conscious, both groups would have stuck together like they always had done, but in this case, none of them were in the position to argue about where they would reside for the next few days.

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A white light shining down in his face and the repulsive odor of rubber gloves woke Robin from his slumber. His whole body ached and he could hardly move any of his limbs.

It wasn't until his vision ceased its blurry state and began to focus, that he realized where he was. A doctor stared down at him, as he frantically searched for his friends that he just remembered had existed, and hopefully still existed.

A sudden pressure in his chest caused his next breath of air to push back out of his throat, before reaching his lungs. It was like he skipped a breath, something that he needed to keep inside of him.

But it escaped . . .

And he needed it more than anything.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:

Beast Boy stared back at the mirror, his jaw dropped at the sight of his own reflection. The skin tone that had once been light green was now reddish brown. It reminded him of the time Cyborg had put red dye in his shampoo.

His friends had laughed hysterically at the prank that had been pulled on the green prankster. Cyborg's trick had turned him brown, similar to the tone of his skin at this very moment.

But Cyborg's joke had only injured his pride.

Beast Boy's condition was way past a simple trick. His burned skin ached and even the flesh that had been shielded by the fabric of his uniform had not been safe from the flames. His pain was overwhelming, but he pushed that aside as he began to picture his new lifestyle in his present condition.

_Imagine what all of my ladies will say! I won't be the favorite Titan anymore, and my fans will no longer line up to take my autograph, and all of the girls that used to follow me around will be staring wide-eyed at Robin!_

Of course, Beast Boy didn't realize that none of these things had ever occurred to him, and that girls rarely kept up with superheroes, unless he was a total heartthrob, and that he never had an autograph, and could barely spell his name as it was, and that Robin was in a worse condition than he was, and hardly looked as he had before.

But still, the changeling's thoughts remained focused on the horrendous idea of being overshadowed, which was already happening, and being underexposed to the people of Jump.

And so, for whatever reason, the boy continued to stare at himself, occasionally peeling a piece of dead skin from his neck, and fuming over the fame of his fellow teammates, instead of worrying about _their _condition and _their _problems.

In fact, they hadn't even crossed his mind . . .

:-:-:-:-:-:-:

Cyborg, like the not-so-green changeling in the room next to him, was staring at himself in the mirror, expecting it to crack and shatter into pieces. Yes, his condition wasn't good and he didn't look like his normal self, but he was more worried about something else.

The T-car . . . .

Last he had seen of it, it was lying in the middle of the street, its windows glistening from the continuous polishing he had used.

But now, who knew what it looked like, if the wheels still were filled with air or if the proton cannon he had installed still could shoot a perfect beam of doom.

And where was it?

These questions saddened the robot, and the fact that they remained unanswered shook him even more.

As the tears began to pour down his mangled face of metal, another patient stirred in her hospital bed.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:

There was so much pain.

So much that even she herself could not heal.

As she fought a battle to sit up, her thoughts wandered to her friends.

Cyborg, Beast Boy, Starfire, and herself . . .

They had been in the greatest danger, and knowing Robin, he would have been the first to help, most likely why they were in the hospital in the first place and not lying on the streets of Jump.

The leader had been standing a ways away, enough so that he would have not been hurt by the wrath and fury of the flames.

To Raven, this was what mattered the most. The safety of her loved one.

Then the thought came, _If he was my loved one, then why did he endanger my life in order to kill Slade? Why was my life put on the line, when he is the one who is supposed to protect it? Does he truly even think of me as his loved one?_

As if an answer to her question, a voice inside her spoke in a calm, reassuring voice.

If he really loved you, wouldn't he be standing here at this very moment, pacing the floor, his head filled with the doubts of your recovery, which would be crowded out by the over joyous thought of embracing you once again, smelling the purple silk of your hair, and kissing your lips? 

She had no idea where it had come from, but it was right.

If he did love her, why was he not here?

The more she tried to answer this question, the more her fury began to build up inside her, like a volcano about to erupt. But her selfish thoughts kept her from thinking about Robin's well being and his condition.

And right now, his state was something that everyone needed to be concerned about . . .

:-:-:-:-:-:-:

The Tamaranian, who had been newly introduced to the concept of a hospital, did not find this care center a pleasant place to reside in. The doctor that constantly hovered over her and poked her body was just as appealing as Mother Mae-Eye stealing the boogers from her nose.

She was usually in a cheery mood, but this torture that she was enduring, which most in the hospital would be happy to receive instead of the constant removal of skin or the stitching to a lost limb, brought her spirits down.

She hadn't seen her friends since the accident, but missed them dearly, especially Robin. He had always been there in her time of need, but now he seemed to vanish. She couldn't even recall him trying to save her and the others.

And for some reason, the deep longing to see him had been placed with something more, a greater pain.

She drowsily awakened, for the cover on her face had been giving her some sort of medicine that had caused her to fall asleep. Her vision was still blurred from her forced nap, and after a few minutes of blinking her tired eyes, the ceiling of the room came into focus.

Starfire quickly became aware of her surroundings, and could easily distinguish that she had been moved to another room. She could her a moan from across the room, and desperately longed to get up and see what was wrong with the patient beside her.

She stared at the swirls of the maroon curtain that split down the middle of the room, separating her from this other person.

After shaking out of the many thoughts that had just entered her mind, she realized that it took up all of her strength just to turn her head. She had no idea what condition she was in, and she really wanted to know.

Taking a few moments to decide what to do, she carefully lifted her head, which now seemed to weigh a thousand pounds.

She almost fainted when she saw herself wearing not her regular uniform, but what looked like a tablecloth. It had three holes for her head and arms and barely went down to her knees.

She didn't even notice the cloth wrapped around her stomach, until another sharp pain spread through her body.

Her fingers gently traced the bandage, daring not to lift it and look underneath at the cause of her pain. Against her conscience, she unwrapped it and stared at the mark along her skin.

A long dark cut ran diagonally across her body, and somebody had seemingly stitched it up. The bumps of the stitches sent chills down Starfire's spine, and even more came when her touch had pressed a little too hard on the cut.

She continued to poke on this new form of entertainment, waiting patiently for someone to come and explain what had happened to her, but it didn't seem that anyone would come soon.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:

The beep of the heart monitor next to him woke Robin up from his quiet slumber. He turned his head to face the machine. Mostly out of boredom, he watched the line bounce up and down, making a zigzag across the screen.

He had been here how long again?

He wanted nothing more than to get out and go back to the normal routine he and his friends had attended to.

He missed the action his life had previously contained, and could feel his muscles that normally bulged from his uniform, turning to Jell-O. He missed chasing criminals and solving cryptic clues that led him to his enemies and staying up all hours of the night, just to stare at the characters that danced across the computer screen.

Even a tiny duel against Control Freak would have suited him.

A man's voice interrupted his thoughts, and he tried to focus on what this amateur doctor was saying.

"It's good to see you awake, Mr. Grayson."

Hearing his last name that he had abandoned long ago sent a jolt through his body.

"Yeah, well it's not so nice to be awake," he mumbled under his breath.

The man had his back turned to Robin, to busy to attempt to hear Robin's comment. He clutched a clipboard in his hand, and was jotting something down.

"How are you feeling today?" The smile on his face was huge, and spread from ear to ear.

"Like shit," came the retort.

The doctor laughed, but it was easy to tell that it had been forced.

"What a typical teenager you are. Well, my name is Dr. Harrison, and I will fill you in on your present condition. We have treated a few of minor burns on your body and you have broken a total of five ribs."

_Just what I need . . . . . _Robin thought. He was beginning to feel a bit like Raven, and now had a better understanding of why she was always in a negative mood. He was to busy even to think about how stupid things in the world are, let alone people.

Dr. Harrison had his back turned again, and Robin abruptly sat straight up. He stretched his sore legs until they touched the ground, and hoisted himself from the bed.

He quickly grabbed the side of the bed for support, and began to walk, his legs like jelly. He walk turned into a limping jog as he made his way to the door.

He felt himself falling forward, and he began to tumble to the ground. He would have hit solid tile if it weren't for the arms that had kindly received his weak body.

"Looks like you have a runaway patient, Mr. H. You might want to be more careful."

Robin stared up into the eyes of yet another doctor. He helped the hero to his bed.

To Robin, this 'doctor' seemed a lot different than the rest he had seen. This one looked a lot younger, a few years older than himself.

The two men began to chat, Robin to tired to listen, and soon the annoying one left, leaving Robin with the younger, better one.

"So, Richard, is it?"

"I prefer Robin," he answered, trying to decide if this was an obnoxious teenager or a serious doctor.

"Robin . . . . you know, I'm a really big fan. Couldn't tell who you were though without your uniform. Sorry about that."

_Fan? Maybe I should give this guy a chance. Maybe he can actually help me get out of here faster. _

They began to talk a bit, each one informing the other about their past, Robin, of course, telling his story without all of the vital details.

By the time another person in scrubs came in, they had been talking for an hour.

"Well, Robin, I need to go check on another patient. Do you need anything? I will be passing by your friends' rooms. Can I pass on a message?"

The sudden reminder of his friends brought thousands of questions to Robin's mind, so many that his brain throbbed.

"Well, if it's not too much trouble, just ask Raven how she's doing. Starfire, Beast Boy, and Cyborg will most likely be able to handle this a lot better than her, so just ask her for an update."

"Oh, in love, are we?"

Robin threw one of the pillows he was leaning against at his new friend, yelling, "I'm just worried about her, okay!"

"Sure you are!" came the echoing reply from down the hall.

Robin gave a small chuckle, closing his eyes in hopes of getting some much needed rest.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:

It wasn't until later that he was awakened, only to see his friend hovering over him.

"I have a message to you from the creepy goth chick," he said, some small amount of fear in his eyes. "Emphasis on the 'creepy' part."

"Hey she isn't creepy. So, what's the news?"

"Although I totally disagree with you, I'll read the message." He flipped through a few of the pages attached to his clipboard. "She says that she's doing fine. She's really glad to hear from you, but the sound of your voice would be a lot more effective than the wimpy nurse you sent."

Robin broke out in laughter, but immediately stopped when receiving a death glare from the 'nurse' beside him.

"She wants to know how you are and she wants to see you very badly. Can I get back to my job now? I have more to do than parade around the hospital giving girls your secret love messages. And next time you talk to Raven, have her know that I am one of the most respected doctors in this city."

"You're such a wimp."

"Hey pal, if you ever want to talk to your pretty little girlfriend again, I suggest you think otherwise."

He left the room, a smile on his face, leaving Robin stranded on his bed, feeling isolated from the rest of the world.

The hero sighed, relieved that he had made it through another day, this one a lot better than all of the others. And with that, he drifted off to sleep.

To someone else, he would have looked like an excited adolescent who was fine in every way, but then again, looks can be deceiving . . . .

**:-:-:-:-:-:-:**

So what did you think? A lot longer, mostly cause of the Thanksgiving break thing. I thought that a long chapter would be a good way to end the vacation.

**So thoughts? Comments?**

**I hope you noticed that I put more of Starfire in, so yeah for me, I finally can write with her in the story! **

**Hope you liked it, thanks for the reviews and your time.**

**:-:-:-:-:-:-:Rov:-:-:-:-:-:-:**


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